India tour of West Indies: 3 players who missed out on selection
There were some players who were unlucky to miss out on the selection for the tour while for some it would feel like the end of the road for their international careers.
The selectors and team management gathered at the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) headquarters in Mumbai to pick the squad for the West Indies tour, that kicks off on August 3. While most of the senior members of the team like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were selected to play, some like Jasprit Bumrah (picked for Tests) and Hardik Pandya were rested. MS Dhoni was also not picked as he opted to take a two month break from cricket to be with the parachute regiment.
The focus was put on youngsters by the MSK Prasad-led selection committee as the likes of Navdeep Saini, Rishabh Pant, Rahul Chahar, Deepak Chahar and Khaleel Ahmed were given the nod for the tour. However, there were still some players who were unlucky to miss out on selection while for some it would feel like the end of the road for their international careers.
1. Dinesh Karthik- The veteran wicket-keeper batsman had a World Cup to forget as he failed to make the most of his chances in crucial matches. After being picked as a second-choice wicket-keeper for the tournament, the team management put the trust in him and played him in the semi-finals against New Zealand. Karthik though disappointed as he was dismissed for just 6 runs. It looks like Karthik’s international career might have come to an end with the 2019 World Cup.
2. KS Bharat- Chief selector MSK Prasad admitted that Bharat was very close to being selected in the Test squad after a phenomenal season with the India A team. In his last 11 appearances for India A, Andhra wicket-keeper batsman Bharat has scored 686 runs with three centuries and two half-centuries while taking 41 catches and effecting six stumpings.
3. Shubman Gill- Fans were outraged when the young batsman wasn’t selected for the India tour despite the focus being on youngsters. Shubman has scored 1545 runs in 38 matches at an impressive average of 45.44 for India A while also picking up the Emerging Player of the Tournament award in the IPL this year. However, it looks like it is just a matter of time before Shubman establishes himself as a regular in the Indian team.